Yaquina Head Seabird Colony Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, Newport, Oregon 2022 Season Summary

Will Kennerley & Rachael Orben Seabird Oceanography Lab, Oregon State University

Project Overview

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (YHONA) is home to some of Oregon’s largest

and most publicly visible seabird colonies, and has included over 60,000 Common Murres ( Uria

aalge ) in peak attendance years. The seabird colonies surrounding Yaquina Head present a

unique opportunity for research and monitoring given their close proximity to viewing platforms

and intensive oceanographic studies of surrounding waters. From 1980 to 2010 the common

murre population at Yaquina Head experienced rapid growth and reproductive success however,

there has been significant fluctuation and reproductive failures over the last 8-10 years. The 2022

field season was the 16 th consecutive year of murre productivity monitoring; a collaborative

effort between Oregon State University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land

Management. In combination with similar studies conducted by Julia Parrish of the University of

Washington from 1998 – 2002, our investigation of seabirds at Yaquina Head has contributed to

a 21-year time series of observation.

In general, we are interested in how seabird breeding chronology, reproductive success,

diet, and foraging activities are affected by changing ocean conditions. However, another

important dynamic occurring at Yaquina Head is murre depredation coincident with increasing

bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) interactions. Our study objectives include quantifying the

effects of bald eagles and other sources of predation on or disturbance to seabirds during the

breeding season.

Observations were conducted from the public viewing deck at the base of the lighthouse.

Construction modified the viewing deck slightly from previous years making the viewing

platform slightly lower. Plots were monitored from May through August three to four days per

week (about every other day). Common murre nest checks began in late May, however nesting

attempts were repeatedly disturbed and rocks were frequently abandoned upon arrival. Murres

failed to successfully establish nests in 2022, leading to a total breeding failure for common

murres at Yaquina Head. Eggs at nest sites were spotted frequently early in the breeding season,

but egg depredation was observed within the same day of each confirmed egg sighting in all

cases. In years more successful breeding, we closely observed breeding birds, documented when

eggs were laid and then monitored the progressive success of the breeding pairs through egg

incubation and chick rearing. We observed disturbances to the breeding colony and recorded the

frequency, duration and consequences (e.g., loss of eggs or chicks) of these events during our